UK: Two millionth electric car registered as market rebounds strongly
4 hours ago
- #Policy Mandate
- #Electric Vehicles
- #UK Automotive Market
- UK new car market grew 24.0% in April 2026, reaching 149,247 registrations, the best April since 2019, rebounding from a weak April 2025 due to tax changes.
- April saw the two-millionth battery electric car registered, with BEV market share at 26.2% for the month and 23.1% year-to-date, below the 33% ZEV Mandate target.
- 2026 outlook upgraded to 2.093 million total registrations (up 3.6%), but BEV share downgraded to 26.8% from 28.5% due to underperforming Q1 demand and high costs.
- Electrified vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs) accounted for 53.2% of the market, with PHEVs up 46.4% and HEVs up 18.8%, while petrol rose 8.2% and diesel fell -1.0%.
- Fleet registrations led growth with a 26.8% increase, private retail rose 20.2%, and business sector grew 15.0%.
- SMMT calls for an urgent policy review to align EV transition with market realities, citing high energy, production, and charging costs, and geopolitical risks like the Iran conflict.